Welcome to the R. Baker and Son All Industrial Services Blog. Veteran founded, specialized contractor in business since 1935. Experts in power plant decommissioning, dismantlement, building demolition, heavy industrial rigging, machinery and equipment moving, wrecking, razing and onsite concrete crushing. Company operates throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Stadiums
for professional sports teams are hubs of entertainment for millions of
people around the country, and many of us feel a deep nostalgia for our
favorite teams’ stadiums. But, like most things, stadiums that
were once shiny and new become old and antiquated, and it becomes
necessary to replace them with new. Older stadiums lack the seating
capacity, private party boxes, restaurants, concession stands, and
restroom facilities to meet modern standards, not to mention Jumbotrons,
large monitors, and lighting and sound systems. This means total
demolition of the old stadium to make way for the new.

In many stadium construction projects, the
new stadium is erected, oftentimes directly adjacent to the old
stadium, before the old stadium is demolished so there is no
interruption to the sports teams’ seasons. Then, everything of any
sentimental value – seats, signs, pieces of the scoreboard, grass from
the outfield – is recovered from the condemned stadium for sale to the
highest bidders. Seats from Yankee Stadium can still be found on eBay
for $450.

For some stadiums, such as Yankee Stadium
and Giants Stadium, total demolition is performed by cutting, chopping
and removal by multiple hydraulic excavators and other high-reach
equipment. Other stadiums, including Texas Stadium and Seattle’s
Kingdome, are reduced to rubble by controlled blast. Due to nostalgic
value, stadium demolition is usually well-documented through time-lapse
photography, news coverage, and of online videos. The implosion of Texas
Stadium was a festive-yet-bittersweet public event preceded by
fireworks and attended by 25,000 spectators. Once demolished stadiums
have been replaced with parking lots for new stadiums, retail
properties, open space, and theme parks.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services
R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) in business since 1935,
is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United
States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees
and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly
involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards).
R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding
capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial
and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and
plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment
relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition,
warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant
reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental
services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and
investment and asset recovery.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Interior demolition:
the nonstructural demolishing of spaces within a structure, usually in
preparation for reuse or upgrading the space or area. This includes
interior walls, ceilings, flooring, staircases, mezzanines, overhangs,
etc., as well as the utilities contained within, such as electrical,
plumbing, ductwork, gas lines, flues, etc.

There is no shortage of online calculators that provide estimated
per-square-foot interior demolition costs. In theory, it seems
practical, but results can be wildly inaccurate. Without the input of an
expert interior demolition contractor like R. Baker & Son, unknown
variables can put a project’s budget in jeopardy before the renovation
work begins.

**Is there asbestos, lead paint or other environmental factors that need
to be identified and addressed? The cost of remediation for these
hazards can often exceed the cost of the interior demolition itself.
**Are there utilities that must be preserved or rerouted? Interior
demolition often uncovers problems or code issues concealed by walls,
floors and ceilings. Sometimes an area marked for interior demolition
contains utilities that feed through to other tenants that cannot be
disturbed such as fiber-optic lines, electrical controls etc.
Demolition of these utilities can shut down another tenant’s business
for a period of time until the problem is found and repaired.
**What is the degree of difficulty to perform the demo, and what special
equipment is needed to perform the work safely? Interior demolition
project budgets should include the cost of a properly-insured, licensed
contractor who has the experience, equipment, and safety training
necessary for the project.

Demolition calculators, even those from a reputable source, can only
provide a budgetary starting-point for an interior demolition project.
With over eighty years in the demolition industry, R. Baker & Son
has the knowledge and experience to properly estimate a project and
leave contingency for the real unknowns.